FMPA Weekly
A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA members
Nov. 4, 2019
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LAST WEEK
FPL Transmission Rate Increase
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) granted FMPA’s requests last Wednesday regarding Florida Power and Light’s (FPL) proposed transmission rate changes. FERC suspended FPL’s proposed tariff revisions for the maximum five-month period and establish settlement and hearing procedures. FPL is seeking to change its rate structure from a stated rate to a formula rate and to increase its rates by 32%. The original filing would increase FPL’s wholesale transmission service rate from $1.59 per kW per month to $2.10 and update FPL’s rate for Reactive Supply and Voltage Control Service from $0.1008 per kW per month to $0.1713. The significant issues raised by FMPA include: 1) FPL’s proposed 10.7% return on equity is excessive, and 2) FPL’s capital structure is weighted too heavily to equity (62.1%) for reasonable rate making. Contact: Ken Rutter
Emerging Leaders Panel
Ken Rutter participated in a panel discussion last Wednesday at Burns & McDonnell’s Emerging Leaders Workshop for the engineering consulting firm. Ken and other panelists shared their experiences, offered advice on building trust and leadership skills, and discussed industry trends.
MSAC Meeting
The Member Services Advisory Committee (MSAC) met last Thursday via conference call. The Committee elected Joe Bunch of New Smyrna Beach as Chairman. The committee also approved guidelines for charging staff time spent providing significant services to an individual member. The recommended guidelines will be presented to FMPA’s Board of Directors in December as an information item. The full agenda package is available on the Portal. Contact: Mark McCain
Solar Project Phase I
The Phase I Solar Project Committees met jointly last Thursday via conference call to discuss and approve an alternative plan to resolve the Poinsett site delay. When finalized, the plan will be presented to FMPA’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee for approval. Contact: Susan Schumann
Cane Island Unit 3
Cane Island Unit 3 set a new FMPA fleet record last week for a continuous operating run. The unit was taken offline Saturday for planned maintenance, ending a run of 194 continuous days. This surpasses the unit’s previous record of 163 continuous days in 2005. The unit is scheduled to come back online Nov. 15. Contact: David Schumann
Tallahassee, KUA Receive APPA SEP Designation
Nearly 70 public power utilities, including two from Florida, received the inaugural Smart Energy Provider (SEP) designation from the American Public Power Association (APPA). SEP represents a commitment and proficiency in energy efficiency, distributed generation and environmental initiatives to provide low-cost, safe and reliable service. Congratulations to City of Tallahassee and Kissimmee Utility Authority for earning this designation. The full list of designees is available on APPA’s website.
APPA Membership Dues
FMPA paid the American Public Power Association (APPA) dues for all members that participate in a power supply project and will include the cost in power bills. FMPA encourages its members to join APPA. If you have any questions about APPA membership, contact Mark McCain or email [email protected].
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THIS WEEK
Annual Financial Audit
FMPA’s external auditors, Purvis Gray & Company, will be in the Orlando office for two weeks starting Monday to perform the annual financial audit for the fiscal year. Contact: Danyel Sullivan-Marrero
FMPA Weekly Refresh Project
In anticipation of the upcoming 20th anniversary of FMPA Weekly’s first issue, FMPA’s Public Relations Department is kicking off a refresh project to ensure the newsletter meets the needs of readers and the communications objectives of FMPA. The mission of FMPA Weekly has been to enhance internal communication by providing timely and useful information about what is happening at the Agency. To ensure the newsletter continues to meet reader needs, a survey will be emailed on Wednesday to members and staff. Responses are requested by Nov. 13. Contact: Mark McCain
Microsoft Ignite
Luis Cruz and Rattanak Srun attend the Microsoft Ignite conference in Orlando on Monday through Friday. The conference will provide insight and information about the latest Microsoft innovations.
Clewiston AMI Kickoff
Navid Nowakhtar and Cairo Vanegas travel to Clewiston on Monday for a meeting with the city and Quanta Technology, the city’s owner’s engineer, to kick off Phase I of the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) project. The team will review the scope of services, project schedule and initial data requirements for Phase I, which will be focused on understanding the city’s AMI objectives, identifying processes impacted by AMI and developing a cost-benefit analysis.
Member City Visits
Jody Finklea and Navid Nowakhtar travel to Bushnell on Monday to attend the City Council meeting. Susan Schumann attends Lake Worth Beach’s City Commission meeting on Tuesday to discuss the city’s approval to participate in the Solar Project Phase II. Mike McCleary travels to Quincy and Havana on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Mike will visit Blountstown and Chattahoochee.
TEA Visit
Jacob Williams, Ken Rutter, David Schumann, Chris Gowder and Richard Montgomery travel to Jacksonville on Wednesday to visit The Energy Authority (TEA), a public-power owned nonprofit corporation providing utilities with access to advanced resources and technology. The FMPA team will meet with TEA’s executive staff to learn about their energy market initiatives, risk assessment practices and Connected Analytics platform.
Meter Tech Roundtable
FMPA holds a Meter Tech Roundtable on Wednesday at 10 a.m. in Leesburg. The roundtable provides a forum for participants to discuss metering topics such as policies, procedures, equipment, AMI, technology, safety, training, apprentice programs and more. Contact: Sharon Samuels
Oak Ridge National Lab
Carter Manucy participates in a steering committee on Wednesday and Thursday at Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL), which is dedicated to conducting research to support the energy industry. The steering committee will provide insight for ORNL’s SecCom Project, a secured network infrastructure for utilities that’s separate from public and commercial communication networks, to ensure it fits the needs of utilities.
Electric Substation Exchange
Mike McCleary attends the Electric Substation Exchange on Thursday hosted by Beaches Energy Services. The event invites substation professionals from member utilities across the state to participate in a roundtable to discuss current industry topics.
Special Dates
Congratulations to Ellen Leatherman, who celebrates 12 years with FMPA on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
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COMING UP
Bid Opening
FMPA will open a bid for PVC conduit and fittings on Nov. 14 for work with Beaches Energy Services, City of Bushnell and City of Newberry. FMPA’s first collaborative bid for Wastewater Pipe, Valves & Fittings will open Nov. 26 for work with City of St. Cloud and City of Bushnell. Contact: Sharon Samuels
Substation Training
FMPA’s Substation Training series continues Dec. 9-10 at OUC’s Engineering Building with a course on confined space hazard mitigation. Courses are designed to provide participants with in-depth instruction on substation-related topics and are tailored to the specific equipment of the participating utilities, where possible. Registration is $900 for the two-day session, and lunch will be provided. Contact: Sharon Samuels
Governing Board Meetings
FMPA’s governing board meetings originally scheduled for Nov. 21 have been cancelled. The Board of Directors and Executive Committee will meet on Dec. 12. Contact: Jacob Williams
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INDUSTRY NEWS
NRC Considers FPL’s Request for First 80-Year Nuclear Plant License
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued its final environmental review in response to Florida Power & Light’s (FPL) application to renew the operating license at its Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station. If approved, FPL’s two nuclear units at Turkey Point will be licensed for operation for a total of 80 years, twice the number approved in the initial 40-year license. Dominion Energy has also filed a license renewal request that would allow its reactors at Surry 1 and Surry 2 to run for 80 years, and that application is currently in the public comment phase. Nuclear advocates believe the number of utilities submitting similar applications will continue to grow as utilities work to fulfill clean energy goals.
FPL’s Hurricane Irma Cost Recovery Plan Moves Forward
The Office of Public Counsel dismissed its appeal challenge last week to Florida Power & Light’s (FPL) approved filing with the Public Service Commission (PSC) to recover costs after Hurricane Irma. FPL spent $1.3 billion restoring power to its customers and rebuilding infrastructure after Hurricane Irma hit Florida in 2017. Rather than add the cost to customer bills, FPL filed with the PSC requesting to use its reserve to cover the costs and replenish the reserve with money saved from a 2017 income-tax rate reduction. The PSC approved the plan in July 2019.
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FMPA Weekly is published by FMPA for employees and governing boards of FMPA member utilities. Questions or comments about this newsletter may be directed to Melisa Inanc or Rachel Ilardi in FMPA’s Public Relations Department.
Want more background on the names and terms used in this newsletter? Check out FMPA’s Glossary, which features some of the most frequently mentioned committees, companies, places and terms, or contact the person named in each FMPA story to learn more.
Have a question, comment or story idea for the newsletter? FMPA welcomes your feedback at any time. Contact: Melisa Inanc or Rachel Ilardi
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Florida Municipal Power Agency
8553 Commodity Circle
Orlando, FL 32819-9002
Tel 407 355-7767
Fax 407 355-5794
www.fmpa.com
Community Power. Statewide Strength. ®
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